(Cypress, CA, March 9, 2023) Tommy Dunkel and Brody Roa will make their first joint team appearance this Friday and Saturday, March 10th and 11th, in the Southern California Open Class Non-Wing Sprint Cars at the Imperial Valley Raceway. The race will be the second event for each of the drivers in 2022. Dunkel previously competed in January’s Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Roa swept the weekend winning both USAC/CRA main events at the Cocopah Speedway at the end of the same month.
Neither of the two team drivers is experienced at the Imperial track which is located less than 30 minutes north of the USA/Mexico border. Dunkel has appeared there one time and placed seventh last October. For Roa, the current point leader in the USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, it will be his first race at the longtime racing facility. While it will be his initial outing at the track, the Garden Grove, California-based driver enters the event as one of the pre-race favorites.
While it will only be his second appearance at Imperial, Dunkel realizes the value of having Roa, and his longtime crew as part of the Inland Rigging team.
“It was pretty racy,” Dunkel said when talking about the track that is located on the Imperial Valley Fairgrounds. “It kind of had some dark spots and no walls. So, it is one of those scary tracks but you go back for more. I am hoping they fix the dark spots. Other than that, we really enjoyed it. We went third quick the last time and locked ourselves in the dash. It is going to be huge really with my limited experience. Really nice equipment has been getting me by, but now we have a lot of experience on the team, too. I think it is going to be a game changer for my driving and a huge help for us.”
“That was actually one of the huge deciding factors in teaming up with Brody,” Dunkel continued when talking about the new setup. “Not only are we coming to the table with what it takes to go racing financially, but they have the rest of the package. Just looking at their experience, it was really a no-brainer to hook up with them. The experience that Brett has (Brody’s father Brett) and Zac (past USAC/CRA Crew Chief of the Year Zac Bozanich) and Brody as a driver as well.”
This week’s event comes after two straight cancelations for the Inland Rigging team. Two weeks ago both of the drivers were scheduled to compete in the USAC/CRA West Coast Series event at the Dirt Track at the Kern County Raceway. However, Mother Nature had other ideas and rained the event out. Last weekend Roa was slated to drive in the two-night USAC/CRA program at the Central Arizona Raceway. Mother Nature remained staunch again and rained out that event, too. Fortunately, the heavy rains that are slated for California this Friday and Saturday are far north of Imperial.
For Roa, the weekend is kind of an unknown as he has never raced at Imperial and does not really think he can compare it to a track he has been to before.
“You know, I was talking to Justin Grau and he kind of came up with the same thing,” Roa said via phone on Thursday. “Kind of from the videos I have seen, I can’t compare it to anything. Maybe Ventura because of how small it is. I don’t know.”
“You don’t,” Roa continued with a laugh when asked how he sets the car up for a situation like that. “The car is ready. I went out to Tom and Christy’s (Tom Dunkel and his wife, Christy) Saturday. Let the girls play some and worked on the cars. Basically got them ready other than set up and gear. So I have to put a gear in it when I get there and block it. I will do the set up when I see the track. I could do it now, but would probably change my mind when I see it. So, might as well do it then.”
Dunkel will be driving one of the team’s new DRCs while Roa will be in a Maxim. Both will be powered by 360s in the open class show. Roa is not too worried about running the smaller engine.
“I saw the entry list and was really surprised and excited for them (the promoters) to get those good cars there,” Roa said. “I may not be so much (excited) with a 360 now but I don’t know. I think with a 360 we can get it done. We have beat 410s with a 360 before. Tom and Christy, they have nice stuff. It is a little tiny track and if it slicks off, I am not worried about the 360 versus 410 thing there.”
Roa, Dunkel, and the other Open comp sprint car drivers on hand will practice and have a 25-lap main event on Friday night. On Saturday they will contest heat races, a B main if necessary, and the $5,000.00 to win 30-lap main event.
This weekend’s racing, which will be held in conjunction with the California Mid-Winter Fair, will begin at 6:00 p.m. each night. Fair gates will open at 5:00 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday. Kids 18 and under get into the races for free with their ticket to the fair. Admission for those 19 and over will require an extra ticket. The fairgrounds is located at 200 East 2nd Street in Imperial, California.
Roa will be very busy with USAC/CRA races after this weekend’s Imperial show. On Saturday, March 18th, he will be at Perris Auto Speedway for the Sokola Shootout. He will head to Central California for a race at Peter Murphy’s King’s Speedway in Hanford on the 24th and the famous Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare on the 25th. The 2019 USAC/Southwest champion will then take on “Arizona’s Baddest Bullring,” the Mohave Valley Raceway, on April 1st. Due to a heavy workload, Dunkel is not sure of the exact date of his next race after this weekend.
As always, Roa would be more than happy to jump in a race car on his weekends off from the #17R. His entire schedule is printed below. If anybody wishes to contact him about open dates, they can do so at 714-932-7994 or mailto:brodyroa91@gmail.com
The team wants to thank the following sponsors for making the 2023 season possible. Inland Rigging, Dunkel Farms, United Asset Sales, Osborne Speed & Machine, Sander Engineering, “Biker” Bruce Fischer, ALR Virtual Services, Burris Racing, Caltrol, Competition Suspension, K-1 Race Gear, Molecule, Rod End Supply, Driven Racing Oil, Baldwin Filters, and NGK Spark Plugs.
Brody Roa’s 2023 Schedule and Race Results
January 27 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 1st A Main
January 28 Cocopah Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars 1st A Main
February 25 Kern County Raceway Park USAC West Coast Sprint Cars Rained Out
March 3 Central Arizona Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Rained Out
March 4 Central Arizona Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars Rained Out
March 10 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Open Comp Non Wing Sprint Cars
March 11 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Open Comp Non Wing Sprint Cars
March 18 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
March 24 Keller Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
March 25 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
April 1 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
April 15 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
April 22 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
April 29 Kern County Raceway Park USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
May 6 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
May 20 Thunderbowl Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
May 27 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
June 10 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
June 24 Bakersfield Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
July 1 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
July 15 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
August 12 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
August 19 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
August 26 TBA USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
September 9 Santa Maria Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
September 23 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
October 14 Mohave Valley Raceway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
October 20 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Open Comp Non Wing Sprint Cars
October 21 Imperial Valley Raceway SoCal Open Comp Non Wing Sprint Cars
November 3 Central Arizona Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
November 4 Central Arizona Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
November 11 Perris Auto Speedway USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
Tom Dunkel’s 2023 Racing Results
January 12 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals 12th C Main
